Old Vans versus New Vans?

[Van on 66]

van on 66: When it comes to Dodge, it's not necessarily the wires that go bad. Its the pins in the connectors that corrode. I wouldn't bother recreating a whole harness. Once you inspect and clean every little connector, throw a dab of Vaseline into it as you plug it back in to whatever it goes too. It'll keep moisture out.. Then throw a dab of RTV to the backside of the connector where the wires lead into the connector. You'll notice that although some connectors have a rubber seal... moisture gets in through the back.... Go look at your 02 sensor connectors... You'll see what I mean.

Chrysler spent millions over the years redesigning, and updating Dodge vans when it comes to appearance, safety, and efficiency... Yet hired a comedian to redesign the electrical system.

And in the end, in case you didn't catch my latest post, you were correct, basically.  As it turned out, the gasket for the pcm was badly deteriorated and even the two halves of the pcm were pulled apart with a pretty good sized gap in some places.  That, I believe was the key factor for the circuit board having a lot of corrosion.  Many of the soldered contact points on the board, including those for some of the pins were broken.  Needless to say, I had the pcm rebuilt and my  van is back to running like a top.  What an ordeal!

 

[TexasWoman]

That rules out new or newer vans unless you want monthly payments...

Nothing like getting down to the bottom line ....  

Hey ... what about this one? 
Link below ...
Open for input ..


2003 GMC Safari / 171K miles / $4000 / 4.3L V6 CPI / Extended

 

[TexasWoman]

Thanks for the feedback vfourmax.

I have discovered that these issues are very common with Dodge and I am not at all pleased about it.  I got my van back over the weekend and, in my case, both myself and the mechanic, who I know and trust, believe that the issue this time is the PCM.  The gasket that seals the two halves together was badly deteriorated to the point where there were huge gaps between them and spread even further apart in some places.  That resulted in moisture corrosion on the circuit board and many of the solder points on the board were broken, most likely due to the weight of the harness...once again the poor design of Dodge.  The reputation for the trannies from Dodge also concern me.

At this point, I think my van is fixed, but I am not convinced that I will keep it as I need a van that is dependable for long trips.  I too like the Ford and I have also found another one in far better shape than that one over the weekend and posted about it in the market thread here.  I agree with the opinion of many that there are pros and cons, but in my mind it just seems that they built things to last better back then and that, to me, is a good trade off for less performance and mpg.

Here is the link to the Ford van I posted about in the other thread.  https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/6270606392.html

1986 ??

Holy crap .. does it have seat belts?  

 

[Van on 66]

1986 ??

Holy crap .. does it have seat belts?  

Hey TexasWoman,

I never took the time to go and look at this van, but it peaked my curiosity.  It appeared to be very clean, and even had electrical installed in it with access from the outside which makes it easy to plug in if you are at a full hook up site.  Keep in mind though that the 43K could be 143, 243, etc., as I believe that this odometer is a five digit.  This van is also a one ton and if it has the 351 and three speed transmission it has real benefits.

Older vans do have their up sides.  They were made a lot stronger as far as body materials are concerned, etc. and carbureted engines are simpler than fuel injected engines operated by computers, to say nothing about the cost of repairs especially over the long haul. If you are capable of working on engines yourself, these vans have a real advantage.

The downsides to older vans is that they have rubberized components such as gaskets, seals, etc. that will need to be replaced and body parts, etc. will have to be found at salvage yards, etc.  Fuel efficiency is also not as good as modern vans and maintenance has to be done more frequently.   Having things like the front ends rebuilt, are also concerns.

Depending on how much you are able to spend, you could feasibly take the same amount of money you would spend for a late model van with low/lower miles and buy an older van and go through it bringing it up to speed.  At that point, you know what you have.  You just can't think that you are going to save a lot of money by buying something older especially if you are planning on traveling with it.

I like simple and, if money wasn't a concern for me at the moment, I would have gone with an older van, but for now, since my van has been fixed, I am keeping what I have.

 

[user 423]

Hey ... what about this one? Link below ...
Open for input ..
2003 GMC Safari / 171K miles / $4000 / 4.3L V6 CPI / Extended

It's a 15 yo old van with higher miles priced at retail but has some body damage, so it should be priced lower. It would be a total crapshoot on how reliable it would be in the future. Then again, you could spend $15,000 on a 2013 with no powertrain warranty remaining and still possibly have major repair bills down the road. Plus you will pay more for tags, insurance,interest and depreciaton.

Spending money fixing up an old van can be a good choice only if you can find an honest,competent mechanic to do the work. If you're on the road, that can be an iffy proposition.

 

[vfourmax]

van on 66: When it comes to Dodge, it's not necessarily the wires that go bad. Its the pins in the connectors that corrode. I wouldn't bother recreating a whole harness. Once you inspect and clean every little connector, throw a dab of Vaseline into it as you plug it back in to whatever it goes too. It'll keep moisture out.. Then throw a dab of RTV to the backside of the connector where the wires lead into the connector. You'll notice that although some connectors have a rubber seal... moisture gets in through the back.... Go look at your 02 sensor connectors... You'll see what I mean.

Chrysler spent millions over the years redesigning, and updating Dodge vans when it comes to appearance, safety, and efficiency... Yet hired a comedian to redesign the electrical system.

It has been a long time but if I remember correctly there were several problems within the harness itself on the one I had. I think one problem was there was a couple of places that grounds were actually joined together inside the harness that was causing problems. I also think there were a couple of wires that had chafed bare also inside the harness. After a long time it was finally fixed and ran great, but then the second transmission dumped within about 160,000 total. I quit throwing money in the pit after that and have not even considered any type of Chrysler product since.

Heck, Chrysler has such a bad  reputation they dropped the Dodge affiliation and they are branded strictly as  just Rams now.

 

[TexasWoman]

Hey TexasWoman,

I never took the time to go and look at this van, but it peaked my curiosity.  It appeared to be very clean, and even had electrical installed in it with access from the outside which makes it easy to plug in if you are at a full hook up site.  Keep in mind though that the 43K could be 143, 243, etc., as I believe that this odometer is a five digit.  This van is also a one ton and if it has the 351 and three speed transmission it has real benefits.

Older vans do have their up sides.  They were made a lot stronger as far as body materials are concerned, etc. and carbureted engines are simpler than fuel injected engines operated by computers, to say nothing about the cost of repairs especially over the long haul. If you are capable of working on engines yourself, these vans have a real advantage.

The downsides to older vans is that they have rubberized components such as gaskets, seals, etc. that will need to be replaced and body parts, etc. will have to be found at salvage yards, etc.  Fuel efficiency is also not as good as modern vans and maintenance has to be done more frequently.   Having things like the front ends rebuilt, are also concerns.

Depending on how much you are able to spend, you could feasibly take the same amount of money you would spend for a late model van with low/lower miles and buy an older van and go through it bringing it up to speed.  At that point, you know what you have.  You just can't think that you are going to save a lot of money by buying something older especially if you are planning on traveling with it.

I like simple and, if money wasn't a concern for me at the moment, I would have gone with an older van, but for now, since my van has been fixed, I am keeping what I have.

Well, yes .. everyone knows that older vans have their up sides ....

Sure,  some of the body parts may not be working as well as they once did.
There is a product on the after market - comes in a blue package - can't remember what it's called.
Anyway, you pop this blue pellet into the gas tank and it brings the old guy up to speed in no time flat.
I mean the fuel efficiency just hits the roof  ...

The downside is that these blue pellets are pretty expensive so one has to weight the benefits vs cost.
No disrespect to the newer models but those vintage classics were really  put together better back in the day.
A little petroleum jelly on the connectors and they're good to go!

See ya down the road ....


TexasWoman
:heart: :heart: :heart:

 

[TexasWoman]

Well, yes .. everyone knows that older vans have their up sides ....

Sure,  some of the body parts may not be working as well as they once did.
There is a product on the after market - comes in a blue package - can't remember what it's called.
Anyway, you pop this blue pellet into the gas tank and it brings the old guy up to speed in no time flat.
I mean the fuel efficiency just hits the roof  ...

The downside is that these blue pellets are pretty expensive so one has to weight the benefits vs cost.
No disrespect to the newer models but those vintage classics were really  put together better back in the day.
A little petroleum jelly on the connectors and they're good to go!

See ya down the road ....


TexasWoman
:heart: :heart: :heart:

PS - mean "weigh" not "weight" ... got a little distracted there

 

[user 423]

... got a little distracted there

I'd say so. Hard to type with one hand...

 

[steamjam1]

Van on 66:

Your van is a 2002. The key to success with that era Dodge is to:

1. Clean and seal every electrical connector, including the PCM, even the tail light sockets.
2. Make sure the windshield seal is in good condition. 80% of the electrical gremlins Dodge suffers from starts when water starts to get by that seal.
3. Install a large transmission cooler.

Just do those three things, ontop of routine maintenance, and that Dodge will go another 100,000 miles. Assuming, of course you don't live in a place that salts the roads. If you do, then I am surprised your van hasn't turned to a pile of dust by now. Dodge wasn't so good at rust prevention.

Although I've owned almost exclusively Dodge cars and trucks my whole adult life, I bought an '86 Ford high top RV-van (my first ever Ford) to replace my last dodge last year. ('89 B150) My thoughts? That era Ford is superior in just about every way to the Dodge of that same era. I mean I have tiny complaints like the Ford not having a glove box. Engine access is limited due to the longer bonnet, and the van having three fuel pumps. The sliding door gets on my nerves sometimes, and who ever designed the power window gear mechanism needs to be kicked in the shins. Other then those things I absolutely love my Ford.

Would I buy another Dodge? Yes. I always swore to myself that if I ever ran into a '79-'86 Dodge shorty equipped with a slant-6 and 4-speed standard transmission thats in good shape, I'd pick it up... But if I ever run into the same era Ford shorty with a 300-6 and 4-speed with double side doors I'd go for that over the Dodge.

 

[Van on 66]

Van on 66:

Your van is a 2002. The key to success with that era Dodge is to:

1. Clean and seal every electrical connector, including the PCM, even the tail light sockets.
2. Make sure the windshield seal is in good condition. 80% of the electrical gremlins Dodge suffers from starts when water starts to get by that seal.
3. Install a large  transmission cooler.

Just do those three things, ontop of routine maintenance, and that Dodge will go another 100,000 miles. Assuming, of course you don't live in a place that salts the roads. If you do, then I am surprised your van hasn't turned to a pile of dust by now. Dodge wasn't so good at rust prevention.

Although I've owned almost exclusively Dodge cars and trucks my whole adult life, I bought an '86 Ford high top RV-van (my first ever Ford) to replace my last dodge last year. ('89 B150) My thoughts? That era Ford is superior in just about every way to the Dodge of that same era. I mean I have tiny complaints like the Ford not having a glove box. Engine access is limited due to the longer bonnet, and the van having three fuel pumps. The sliding door gets on my nerves sometimes, and who ever designed the power window gear mechanism needs to be kicked in the shins. Other then those things I absolutely love my Ford.

Would I buy another Dodge? Yes. I always swore to myself that if I ever ran into a '79-'86 Dodge shorty equipped with a slant-6 and 4-speed standard transmission thats in good shape, I'd pick it up... But if I ever run into the same era Ford shorty with a 300-6 and 4-speed with double side doors I'd go for that over the Dodge.

Steamjam1 - Thanks for all the great information.

I have been wondering if there is a good way to seal up the PCM, which, as you know, is sealed by a gasket.  I was considering applying a coat of clear silicone around it over the seal.  The mechanic that fixed it suggested that I put a tarp on it when it rains and I am not in it.  Obviously, he is fully aware of the potential for future failure. 

Thankfully I am not in an area that uses salt on the roads and the van spent most of its life before I got it in Dallas, Texas so I am pretty sure that it is pretty safe from the rust issues, though I am still considering having undercoat put on it.

If you don't mind, and have the time, I would like to know in more detail about how I can go about doing the things that you suggested.  You can pm me.

Once again, thank you!

 

[TexasWoman]

I'd say so. Hard to type with one hand...

Uh .. distracted as in the mind, not the body...

 

[steamjam1]

Uh .. distracted as in the mind, not the body...

Baha!!